Discussions By Condition: Mouth conditions

Hyper-Sensitive Taste Buds ? Tasting thru skin

Does anyone know what could cause taste buds to become hyper-sensitive? For example if I put lotion on my face I can taste the lotion as if I can taste thru my skin on my face. I dont remember this ever happening before. Also something like hair spray when used, I get a taste of it in my mouth. Is this a sign of a problem ?

4 Replies:

Have you recently stopped taking any medications? I was on heavy pain meds for an extended period and after a month my taste buds became super sensitive like you describe. Hot and sweet mustard on a roast beef sandwich was a real taste explosion. I did not have the experience of tasting through my skin though. As a side note, I heard once that a certain chemical used as a delivery vehicle for nerve agents was so readily absorbed through the skin that when mixed with ketsup you could taste it when dropped on your skin.

Update: I noticed that I had a type of "burn" on the tip area of my tongue. It did not hurt , but it looked to be like a chemical reaction of some kind. I think I isolated the source to some red grapes that I had been eating. I had not eaten grapes in a long time, and bought some and it shortly after that this all started. I discontinued eating the grapes and the "burn" has disappeared, but I still have highly sensitive taste buds. I think it may just be the smell of certain chemicals that I have become highly sensitive to, rather than skin contact like I originally thought. A strong smell of soap for example, seems to transfer to my taste buds like Im actually getting a small taste of the soap.Hopefully this will all clear up now that I have stopped eating the grapes.

The "burn" on the tip of your tongue is most likely a stain from the grapes highlighting slight abrasions on your tongue as it performs its busy daily maneuverings inside your mouth. I can assure you that the grapes are NOT the source of your highly sensitive taste buds. Common causes are pregnancy and extended illnesses, both of which alter the body chemistry (PH). Of course, it's a little more complicated than that (and there are other factors involved) but that's it in a nutshell.Pregnancy, illness, fasting, drugs...yes.Grapes...no.